The Museum grounds underwent a sprucing up recently with the installation of two new outdoor sculptures, illustrating both classic and modern styles. The sculptures represent the latest installations in the museum’s outdoor series, begun in 2014.

Fitzhugh Karol’s Pulse is a set of five large wood carvings, each created from a single pine log and coated with tar. Karol’s initial education was done in sculpting with clay but without access to a kiln after graduation, he began working with wood. His abstract sculptures contain silhouettes of landscapes both real and imagined, and reflect the natural world and how humans have reshaped it over time.

I am perpetually looking for joy. I believe I am at my best when I am persistently working. The accumulation of work born out of this persistence is the record of my energy – energy spent in search of something or someplace I love. I use my body, I feel my work. I believe that I am always playing and always searching and the possibilities are endless. ~ Fitzhugh Karol

Internationally recognized sculptor Gwen Marcus’s The Tempest is a large scale classic human form, created from resin and covered in a faux bronze finish. Marcus was in Kindergarten when one of her teachers noticed her artistic ability. Her parents acted on the suggestion of her teacher and enrolled her in drawing and painting classes as a young girl. But it wasn’t until she began working with clay that she recognized that was her medium. “I enjoyed working with my hands,” she explained.

In conceiving The Tempest, I sought to combine my interest in the human form in direct conflict with intense natural forces. The Tempest places the powerful, idealized male figure in direct opposition to the forces of nature. His raised hands and expression convey the intensity of the struggle at the exact moment they meet. ~ Gwen Marcus

Both installations will remain in place on museum grounds for about one year. The outdoor sculpture series is supported by Olivia and Harlan Fischer.

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The Long Island Museum

Located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook, the Long Island Museum is a Smithsonian affiliate, dedicated to enhancing the lives of adults and children with an understanding of Long Island's rich history and diverse cultures.

The museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m and Sunday from noon to 5.

Regular admission is $10 per person, $7 for seniors and $5 for students ages six to 17. Children under six and museum members are free.